The present invention relates generally to the field of material handling and more particularly to the field of material and debris collection.
Certainly the art of shovels and shoveling is quite old as is the art of brooms and sweeping. Shovels come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They have a variety of handle options and may be constructed from a variety of materials. However, one uniform aspect of a shovel is a leading front edge. Though the leading edge may be curved (as with a spade shovel), for a variety of reasons, many shovels include a flat front edge. Shovels used to remove debris from an area may have such a uniformly flat front leading edge. Such a flat shovel may be useful for shoveling and moving debris from a substantially flat surface. However, as such shoveling is performed, inevitably residual debris may remain on the surface. The person performing the shoveling must then utilize another method and/or device to collect and remove the residual debris. Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a device that enables the person performing the shoveling to collect and remove the residual debris efficiently and without resort to a different device.
Like shovels, the art of brooms is old and like shovels, though broom construction may vary from broom to broom, a uniform aspect of the broom is a leading sweeping edge. Though the sweeping edge may include an angle, it is almost uniformly of a straight edge defined by a multitude of linear straws, fibers, and the like. Typically a broom may be utilized for sweeping debris into a pile. Once in a pile, the debris may then be collected. A person performing a sweeping operation may use a dust pan, flat shovel, and the like for collection. However, the separate collector, be it a dust pan, shovel, or similar device must necessarily be placed aside while the sweeping is being performed. Thus, the sweeper must stop sweeping and separately obtain the secondary utensil in order to collect the debris. Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a debris collection device which affords a sweeper the ability to both sweep and collect with the same device.
Similarly, when a sweeper is sweeping a large area or an area having significant quantities of debris or especially bulky debris, it is common in the art for the debris to become too bulky to sweep. In such cases, even a large push broom may not be effective to remove debris. In such a case, a sweeper mush first shovel and then sweep the area clear of debris. Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a device which affords a sweeper the ability to sweep large amounts of debris and/or bulky debris in an effective manner with a single tool.